I was wondering if any of you guys with more milling experience think that two 6401s on a double ended bar are a reasonable option for milling? I'd rather get a second one of these saws than buy a 440 or 660 just for the mill. Other than needing a second person, are there any drawbacks?
Dolkita Saws for Milling
- Thread starter Creekyphil
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They need to be tune pretty close check with a tack. 2 x as many things to go wrong. Slower chain set-ups would be a pain. Thats the big one for a mill. 2 gas tanks oil tanks air breather. Other than that the power will be very good but again much slower in the long run. You can not out run your chain, but with that said in the cut with fresh chain it will shine there!
what are you milling?
what are you milling?
I'm finding really hard to find long pieces of white oak for some of my boat building projects. Usually I'm looking for 16 or 20 ft pieces of quarter or rift sawn white oak 2x6. The price of just a couple of these is the same as a mill, and I don't know how long I'll be able to find them. I wouldn't mind giving it a try so that a few years down the line I'm not spending $10 a bdft.
Maybe cheaper to put the 84cc head on that saw. If your logs are under 15 inch's and you run slow and keep things clean and idle through the cuts, you may have enough saw now. Double enders could become very over whelming.
The BB kit doesn't thrill me, I'm a little afraid of the quality. I would definately consider the 79cc OEM kit, but may just end up looking around for a used 660. I would rather buy it right the first time, and once I get the hang of it I may want to try some thicker slabs, etc.
Creekyphil said:
I Thing the double ender would work well just a lot more work behind the scene. I think the oem would be better for milling as well. I was really thinking hard about the double set up with a 460 and a 361.
I really have no use for a big saw, except the milling. Between my 260 and the Dolkita, I can take care of everything that I need too. I would rather have two of the 6401s, because down the line, one could potentially be a donor. If do end up upgrading one, it would be nice to have a spare plug and jug that would fit either saw. That, and its gonna cost me about $400 less than a big Stihl.
Creekyphil said:
It would be very cool in the runs......128cc you would be able to run a 60inch bar there high dollar, but with a little time you could tackle anything!
Creekyphil said:
I think that would be more of the bar size you go with? 36 and north I would want on. You may not need it all the time but a half season big one your going to need it. I am running a 41 and have seen the veggie oil drip boiling Thats a good time to idle for a few...lol (Also max that bar out a few times) You can go down both sides if you have to with just one power head. Keep that in mind when chosing the bar set up. There other ways around it though.
smokinjay said:
I am pretty new at milling, but have been very happy with my early results. I have only had the Alaskan mill for about a week and in two short sessions did about 70 board feet. I have a squirt bottle with oil (I am just using motor oil) I give a good squirt on the tip every few feet and give the saw a break. At the same time I move wedges as close as I can to the the mill to keep the pressure off the bar. I have not tried vegtable oil, that may be interesting. I have alot of 16 foot white oak here if you want to make a trip. Lol. I cut it for a saw mill and the prices were so bad I decided to keep it all and do it my self.
A quick question for Jay, how much gas are you going through? I was amazed I can go through a half a gallon before I get through a 12 foot board twice. I would think the 880 may even be more thirsty.
GolfandWoodNut said:
I think you may have me beat...lol I get 3 tanks on a gallon but you will get you in the 100 bf range on a big log green. Half season another story....Now I like your idea of the pump oil probally better than aux-oiler. With a double header aux-oiler may be better. Unless 3 people not a problem.
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